off topic....Canola...another internet hoax/urban legend

[Susan Kline]

On the other hand ---- at the risk of debunking the debunkers of
Canola oil ... well, the first post was certainly a candidate for
urban legend-hood, but I've heard of other problems with canola oil
which are not so easily explained away: in the form we eat it, as
part of bottled salad dressings in particular, it's full of transfats,
the unnatural shape of fat which our bodies do not handle well, which
is also what makes margarine so unhealthy.

If anyone _really_ wants to get the down and dirty about the oils
and fats we eat, here's an article which I found extremely enlightening:
>>http://www.westonaprice.org/oiling.htm

(long but worth it ...)

Here's an excerpt:

The particular mix of fatty acids in soy oil results in shortenings 
containing about 40% trans fats, an increase of about 5% over cottonseed 
oil, and 15% over corn oil. Canola oil, processed from a hybrid form of 
rape seed, is particularly rich in fatty acids containing three double 
bonds and can contain as much as 50% trans fats. Trans fats of a 
particularly problematical form are also formed during the deodorization of 
canola oil, although they are not indicated on labels for the liquid oil.

I only use olive oil for salads or frying, even though it means I have to 
mix my own salad dressing. Just about everything on the grocery store shelf 
will have either soy or canola oil in it.

Respectfully,

Susan Kline